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Heroin Addict Catches Judge Off Guard With Special Request

An Ohio woman was so desperate to get clean after a long addiction to heroin that she requested a jail sentence to do so.

Kayla Dempsey, 25, told WFMJ News that she first became addicted to heroin when she was 18 years old. She got clean early on and remained sober for five years, but relapsed after being prescribed pain killers and running out.

The Youngstown, Ohio, mother said her heroin addiction is such a problem that being sent to jail is her only option.

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“There's no help out there anymore,” she said. “There's a three-month waiting list for any rehab around here because of the heroin epidemic. It was faster to go to jail."

When Dempsey pleaded guilty to possession of a drug instrument recently, she requested a 30-day jail sentence from Judge Elizabeth Kolby specifically so she could get clean.

“There's people somewhere, there has to be people somewhere that are willing to help," Dempsey said. "Judge Kobly is not known for her kindness. I was not expecting her to agree to 30 days, and when she did I felt so blessed. And I knew right then and there somebody cares.

“Jail's maybe not the best place to detox but it was my fastest option. With the Warren and Trumbull County scare and all the bad drugs going around, I didn't want to risk it no more.”

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Now behind bars, Dempsey said she feels hope for the first time. She admitted her struggle will begin when she’s released.

“It's not going to be the time in here that makes the difference,” she said. “It's going to be what I do when I get out.”

In response to Dempsey's story, many Reddit users shared their own stories of addiction.

"Addiction is terrible ... it takes away your will and your self control and turns you into a slave," user gym00p wrote. "I understand her wanting to get locked up to break the chains."

"When it's faster to go to jail to help an addict, you know this system is messed up," user save_the_pigs added.